The spotlight on ‘Harmanpreet Kaur, India captain’ was dimmed down and completely switched off on October 5 when she stepped down from the role across formats. But now, the spotlight on ‘Harmanpreet Kaur, the batter’ is brighter than ever.
For some time now, Harmanpreet’s ability to evolve with the ever-changing demands of T20Is has been under the scanner.
“Harmanpreet Kaur’s strike rate is a cause for concern for India’s middle order,” India pacer Shikha Pandey was heard saying on the broadcast during the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
“But wherever she bats, Harman should stop thinking about the wickets that have fallen and not try to rebuild because we have seen that when Harmanpreet Kaur is on song, she is a completely different player altogether,” Shikha, who’s played more than 50 T20Is with the now former India skipper, added.
Harmanpreet perhaps paid heed to Shikha’s words because a few days later, in late June, she smacked a 27-ball 56 against Australia — her last half-century in this format before she called time on her captaincy. Although that fifty was in a losing cause — India suffered a second consecutive group-stage exit from the T20 showpiece — the 37-year-old showed that she still has the ability to accelerate. But has the frequency of the explosive batter turning that switch on gone down over the years?
Taking time to settle
The aforementioned match against the Aussies can be deemed as an outlier. Harmanpreet didn’t take too long to get firing on all cylinders. Her strike rate in the first 10 balls was a healthy 127.27. Historically, her first 10-ball run rate has been less than 100 (95.51 since 2012). But that, at times, hasn’t meant a low strike rate overall.
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The 2018-19 season has been Harmanpreet’s best in her T20I career to date. She boasted a strike rate of 151.09, having played eight matches. Only two of those games saw her striking at less than 100. Interestingly, what is her best-ever season also saw her struggle with starts (93.93 strike rate in the first 10 balls). But the then 29-year-old Harmanpreet managed to turn those slow starts into incendiary innings.
Cut to 2023. Her first calendar year as all-format captain, and that year’s T20 World Cup was her first major assignment since that appointment. A look at her numbers since 2023 suggests that while her first 10-ball striking rate is 101.67, she’s recorded a strike rate less than 100 in 20 out of the 59 matches in this period.
So, why has she struggled to keep up with the attacking needs of T20 cricket? Harmanpreet’s first coach, Yadwinder Singh Sodhi, feels it’s due to the responsibility she carried.
“Harman is naturally an aggressive batter who has the ability to dominate any bowling attack. However, as captain, she has often taken on the responsibility of staying at the crease, building partnerships and taking the game deep. I feel this has definitely affected her natural attacking instincts,” he tells Sportstar.
Harmanpreet with her first coach, Yadwinder Singh Sodhi.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Harmanpreet with her first coach, Yadwinder Singh Sodhi.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Mumbai Indians aberration
While Harmanpreet has struggled in one shade of the blue, she seems to have prospered in another: that of the Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League.
Take the same time frame, from 2023 to now. The first WPL was held three years back, and since then, Harmanpreet has been the captain of the two-time champion. She has the responsibility to lead the side here as well. Yet, she has been the single most destructive batter for MI, besting international names like Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews.
Looking ahead
“Now, I’m ready to play for the love of the game again.”
This is what Harmanpreet had written on her Instagram post, relaying the news of her stepping down as India captain.
She has been named in both the T20I and ODI squads for the home Zimbabwe series starting on Tuesday, but it remains to be seen whether she will keep her place in the playing XI. If she does, Sodhi knows exactly what his former charge needs to do to rediscover her big-hitting prowess.
“She should look to be positive from the very beginning rather than waiting long to settle in. That doesn’t mean hitting sixes from the first ball, but showing intent, rotating the strike and constantly putting pressure on the bowlers,” he begins.
“Yes, I believe without the added responsibility of captaincy, she could play more freely. However, she still needs to adapt her approach to modern T20 cricket and trust her natural attacking instincts. She is far more dangerous when she plays freely and aggressively.”
(With inputs from Aditya Padinjat)
Published on Oct 16, 2026
